Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Derick Brassard, who missed Game 2 with an unspecified injury suffered on an early-first period hit from Canadiens defenseman Mike Weaver in Game 1, participated in the Rangers’ full practice today at Madison Square Garden, though neither he nor coach Alain “Betting Man” Vigneault were letting on whether Brassard would play in Thursday night’s Game 3.

Prior to Game 2, Brassard participated in Monday’s morning skate but did not participate in the line rushes and Dominic Moore moved up from the fourth line in the game to take his spot in between Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot. Brassard did participate in line rushes today at the Garden but in between Zuccarello and J.T. Miller with Pouliot being given a “maintenance” day.

Vigneault said afterward that Brassard remains day to day and he has no concerns about Pouliot’s availability to Game 3.

Predictably, Brassard, a French-Canadian, said it was frustrating to miss Game 2 against the Canadiens as the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final with a 3-1 victory but not just because the game was at the Bell Centre.

“Not only in Montreal, just to be in the conference final like that,” Brassard said. “I was pretty frustrated, obviously there was a lot of emotion. But when we won the game, after that, I think I took it a little better. It put a smile on my face. The guys have been playing really hard and I’m trying to heal quicker and I want to get back out there. I want to help out but yeah it was really frustrating. And there’s a lot of emotion.”

Brassard said the decision not to play was made in conjunction with the team’s medical staff. He said his plan for Thursday was to skate in the morning but he wasn’t sure yet of the team’s schedule.

“I haven’t skated for four days, it was good to get back out there with my teammates and finish a practice and we’ll go from there,” Brassard said.

Then came this dialog:

Could you have played tonight? “That’s a good question. I would have to ask AV if he would put me in.”

Do you feel good enough to play: “It’s a good question. If the game would be tonight…I don’t know. We’d have to talk with everyone.”

Meanwhile, the Canadiens practiced this morning at their practice facility in Brossard, Que., just minutes outside downtown Montreal. Coach Michel Therrien confirmed Dustin Tokarski would again start in net with Carey Price out for the series after a Game 1 collision with Chris Kreider.

Tokarski, 24, made 27 saves in Game 2 in his 11th NHL appearance and his first in the playoffs. At the time, Therrien said he chose Tokarski over veteran backup Peter Budaj, who played the third period of the Rangers’ 7-2 win in game 1 for Price, because Tokarski was “a winner.”
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About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.